Aunt Flo
by EffortlesslyUncool
Summary: Aerith is there for Tifa when Aunt Flo ostracizes her from the rest of the group. Pre-pairing fluff.


_A/N: FFVII and all characters mentioned are property of Square Enix. If I owned them, FFVII would be the flagship game to ship femslash as Tifa/Aerith canonically._

 _Written on a whim, pre-relationship fluff set sometime before Aerith summons Holy._

 _-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

Normally, when it's a woman's "time of the month", painkillers washed down by hot tea and a hot water bottle pressed into one's abdomen does enough to appease the agonizing cramps which accompany menstruation.

By choice, she would not be in a tent pitched in the middle of God forsaken nowhere.

Yet here she was, alienated. The men had been unsympathetic toward her. Barret chided her, how was it that Tifa Lockhart could endure being suplexed by ShinRa infantry but welp like a wounded animal because of a little stomach pain? She would've relocated him six foot under ordinarily. Cloud had stood aside, aloof. As usual.

She groaned into the cold vinyl matt of the tent floor. She tried lying on her back with the travel pillow stuffed under the small of her back. She had curled into a fetal position. Currently, she was lying face down, pushing the pillow into the angry uterine muscles between her hips. The applied pressure was helping, a little.

Tifa's ears prickled. Soft footsteps could be heard wading through grass. The zip of their tent whined, a frumpy brown boot followed by the hem of her pink dress pushed through the zipper. To be frank, Tifa wasn't certain if she wanted to be in Aerith's company or not. It's not that Tifa finds Aerith's presence unpleasant, they're friends. But she doesn't quite possess the tolerance to deal with the flower girl's outgoing nature and endless conversation right now.

After brief hesitancy, Aerith's body crouched into the tent. Tifa turned her head to face her, her bangs falling into her eyes. Tifa scowled, and allowed her eyelids to flutter closed. Aerith lay on her side parallel to the withering fighter.

Aerith chuckled. Silver bangles jingled as a firm touch of fingertips at her brow scooped the offending strands of hair away from her eyelashes. The fingers didn't retreat though, and she felt them caressing her temples and cheek. Her frown subsided. Radiant green eyes bore into her when she opened her own.

"It seems like Aunt Flo isn't giving you an easy time, is she?" Her voice was gentle, in stark contrast to her normally jubilant and bubbly aura.

"She never has given me an easy ride. I am useless until further notice. I feel disgusting." She averted her gaze away from Aerith, focusing on the stitches holding the fabrics of the tent together.

Aerith propped herself up on her elbow, her carefully sculpted brows furrowing and auburn ringlets dancing around her jawline. "Look at me, Tifa."

Tifa reluctantly returned to Aerith's face. She had inched slightly closer, and Tifa studied the flower girl's soft features. She hadn't noticed the peach fuzz just in front of Aerith's tragus before. It was kind of adorable.

"You are not disgusting, missy. Nor is any woman filthy because she is on the rag."

Tifa rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed at Aerith for trying to make her feel better. Slightly annoyed at herself for being annoyed at Aerith for trying to make her feel better.

"I ran out of tampax and pads make me nauseous." She felt her cheeks heat up from her admission. Jessie had been the only female she had ever broached the topic with before, with the same awkward tenure. She always felt strangled on the topic of femininity, having always held testosterone dominated company since her mother's death.

"Oh, I see." Aerith's hand tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I may have a spare cup if you prefer?"

Tifa offered a blank stare, "…"

"Gosh don't worry! It's _unused_! Heavens above…"

The brawler cracked a smile and a throaty chuckle filled the tent in tandem with Aerith's light weighted cackle. She felt a blush spread across her chest.

"I'm sorry, I haven't held much company with girls… sorta hard for me to feel too comfortable talking about this stuff."

"There's a time for everything Teef."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, Aerith drew her hands up and down Tifa's upper arms.

"What if I hold you?" Her voice was soft, almost motherly.

Tifa looked at her quizzically.

"Here," Aerith scooted up against Tifa's side, "Turn over."

Without protest, Tifa lifted herself up, pressing her back into Aerith who in turn, embraced her. Resting her head over the masses of silky black hair, Aerith slid an arm over Tifa's hip and allowed her hand to come to rest just beneath the younger woman's naval. Her palm applied gentle pressure, Tifa's posture went slightly rigid.

"Relax," Aerith whispered into her neck.

A cold shiver ran down her spine in response to Aerith's breath. For all she wasn't well rehearsed in appropriate behaviour with female friends, she was confused by the butterflies in her chest and the Cetra holding her in a fairly intimate position. She wasn't going to argue though, as Aerith's massaging palm worked to ease the ache in her abdomen and this was the most comfortable she had felt all day.

"Thank you…"

"Try think of this time as less of a burden to you. If it were not for menstruation… we would not survive as a species. Cetra, human…the mechanics are the same. Something that can bring forth something as beautiful as childbirth can't be disgusting."

Tifa let out a light giggle, "Listen to you getting all poetic-"

Aerith nuzzled into Tifa's neck, smiling. "I am serious! And I can tell that your babies will be gorgeous!"

Tifa scoffed, "I haven't given that much thought."

"No?"

"AVALANCHE is all I have known. And I think you need two to tango Aerith…"

Aerith's laugh was hearty, "Well duh!"

Tifa felt a smooth leg glide against her own. The sensation was both foreign and soothing; yet her mind tugged at her and wouldn't let go of the idea that this behaviour really was not normal.

"What do you want to do after our mission?"

Tifa paused, musing. "I guess I would like to open up a martial arts school."

"Would you teach me?" Aerith's voice was lulling now, sleep preying on her mind.

"As if you have to ask." She said, wrlyly.

"You're my best friend, Tifa."

"And you're mine, too."

 _-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_


End file.
